Columnas del Procurador General

Texas’ Most Wanted Child Support Evaders

Texas’ Most Wanted Child Support Evaders
By Greg Abbott
Attorney General of Texas
Parents have a moral and legal obligation to make regular child support payments. Those who ignore their responsibility to support their children must be held accountable for violating the law. That is why the Texas Attorney General’s Child Support Division recently released a new edition of its Top Ten List of Texas’ Most Wanted Child Support Evaders.
The list, which is required by federal law, includes parents who owe a combined $542,187 in overdue child support and are eluding authorities to avoid arrest for failing to pay their court ordered child support.
The public can aid Texas children by helping the Attorney General’s Office locate parents who are hiding from authorities and avoiding their obligation to support their children. Call 1-866-EVADERS (382-3377) to report any information that may lead to the apprehension of:
• Tomas Roman, who owes $146,967 for two children in Katy;
• William Smith, who owes $77,505 for two children in Eastland;
• Timothy Gaither, who owes $76,917 for one child in San Antonio;
• Guadalupe Aceves, who owes $56,137 for three children in Balch Springs;
• Sherri Kaether, who owes $39,682 for two children in Fort Worth;
• Marcus Spanihel, Jr., who owes $39,163 for one child in Burton;
• Efrain Torres, Jr., who owes $36,907 for two children in Austin;
• Raymundo Garcia, who owes $25,391 for one child in El Paso;
• John Baldridge, who owes $23,541 for three children in Denison; and
• John Tijerina, who owes $19,977 for two children in Plainview.
Regular child support can make a big difference in the life of a child. That is why it is so crucial that the public contact the Attorney General’s Office with any information that could lead to the location and arrest of these Child Support Evaders. It is only right that they be held accountable, not only for breaking the law, but also for violating a sacred trust that should be every child’s birthright. Please visit the Attorney General’s main Web site at www.texasattorneygeneral.gov to view photos and specific information about individual Evaders.
For a parent to be named a Most Wanted Child Support Evader, court-ordered delinquent support must be in excess of $5,000 and an arrest warrant must have been issued. The location of the parent must be unknown, and no child support payments made in the last six months. In addition, the parent must not be involved in bankruptcy proceedings or receiving welfare benefits. To make information public, the parent who has custody of the children must sign a confidentiality waiver.
The Attorney General’s Office works with local law enforcement to arrest and incarcerate parents who are delinquent in their child support payments. All of the parents on the new Evader list are wanted on civil or criminal warrants. They face jail time and monetary penalties for failing to pay child support.
The Child Support Evaders on the Top Ten List were selected because they have the ability to take responsibility for their children but refuse to do so. Incarceration is the only option for parents who flagrantly ignore a court’s order to pay child support. The Office of the Attorney General helps parents who lack the ability to pay child support by referring them to job training and employment services.
Since taking office in December 2002, the Attorney General’s Office has arrested or located 82 Evaders. With the public’s help, we can increase this number and collect the child support that is due to Texas children. Please contact the Office of the Attorney General with tips or information that may lead to the arrests of Texas’ Most Wanted Child Support Evaders.
POINTS TO REMEMBER
Child Support Evaders
CRITERIA: For a parent to be named as a Most Wanted Child Support Evader:
• Court-ordered delinquent support must be in excess of $5,000
• Arrest warrant must have been issued for non-support
• Location of non-custodial parent is unknown
• Parent has not made any payments in the last six months
• Non-custodial parent must not be involved in bankruptcy proceedings
• Non-custodial parent must not be receiving welfare benefits
1-866-EVADERS (382-3377)
Visit the Attorney General’s main Web site at www.texasattorneygeneral.gov to view photos and specific information about individual Evaders.